9.5 NATURAL GAS RESOURCES

Natural gas wells were first drilled in Sutter County commercially in the early 1930s. No known record of the total number of wells drilled in the County has been compiled; however, County permit records dating from July, 1973 show that the County has issued permits for a total of 557 gas wells as of March 1, 1994. Many of these wells were either non-producing wells or have since been closed due to declining production; however, some gas wells located in the Sutter Buttes which are still producing were drilled in 1933.

Sutter County produces approximately five percent of all the natural gas produced in the State. In 1992, the County had 252 operational gas wells located in 19 gas fields. Of these wells, 201 were producing wells and 51 were shut-in wells. (A shut-in well is a producing well that has been temporarily taken out of production. These wells may be placed back in production at any time.) Table 9.5-1 lists each gas field that is at least partially located in Sutter County which had 1990 proven acreage (area capable of producing natural gas) in Sutter County while Figure 9.5-1 shows the location of the gas fields. (Production figures and some wells in each gas field may be in adjoining counties.) Those fields not shown in Table 9.5-1 but shown on Figure 9.5-1 are either abandoned or have no proven acreage in Sutter County.

Natural gas production in Sutter County has increased over the last decade. In 1980, wells located in Sutter County produced 12,307,862 mcf (million cubic feet) of natural gas. By 1990, production had increased to 15,744,172 mcf. Additionally, proven natural gas acreage in the County had increased from 23,670 acres to 28,427 acres, primarily with the opening of the Pierce Road Field in 1989. Since 1990, however, the Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources has observed a decrease in new well permits and production figures.

A natural gas well usually encompasses about one acre during well drilling operations. Drilling is an around the clock activity once it commences and usually is completed within 10 to 14 days. After drilling is completed, if the well is successful, the well site is normally reduced to about a quarter of an acre in size and has only periodic, occasional maintenance needs. Near the end of a well's production life, gas production dwindles. In order to boost gas withdrawal with limited labor requirements, compressors are connected to the well in order to increase gas pressure either into a storage tank or collection line. The compressor is usually quite noisy and intrusive.

TABLE 9.5-1
NATURAL GAS FIELDS
1992

SI - Shut in well.
PROD - Producing well.
MCF/D - Million cubic feet of gas produced per day.

FIGURE 9.5-1
NATURAL GAS FIELD

Prior to 1984, in order to drill a gas well in Sutter County, the driller needed to first obtain a use permit and complete environmental review. This process usually required four to eight months to complete the regulatory process. Special emphasis was placed upon the compatibility of the natural gas well drilling process and the surface agricultural use of the property. Additionally, all permits were examined as to their effect upon existing residential uses.

Beginning in late-1985, Sutter County implemented a staff review permit procedure for drilling new wells. The drilling permit process cut total County permit processing time to approximately 30 days if all permit requirements could be met. If drilling permit requirements could not be met, the application must proceed under the use permit process. The drilling permit process requires agreement with the surface agricultural operator as well as a minimum 500-foot setback from existing residential uses. Since implementation of the drilling permit process, the County has processed 202 drilling permit applications and only 6 gas well use permits.

9.6 WATER RESOURCES

SURFACE WATER

Regional Overview

Sutter County is generally positioned between the Sacramento River on the west and the Feather River on the east, in the relatively flat Sacramento Valley. Climate in the County is Mediterranean, with moderate, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Late spring to early fall fields a distinct dry season, followed by a wet season from late fall to early spring (October to April). During the wet season, the County receives over 94 percent of its precipitation. There is no significant snowfall in Sutter County and no substantial water storage reservoirs; therefore, all rainfall is either absorbed into the ground, runs off into the area's streams and/or rivers, or is eventually evaporated back to the atmosphere. By late summer, most small creeks and streams are generally dry and the rivers are at their lowest levels. Some small creeks have water during the dry season due to agricultural irrigation and drainage and due to drainage of upstream urban areas.

Sutter County lies entirely within the Sacramento River watershed. The County's most notable hydrological features are the Sacramento River, the Feather River and the Bear River. Other notable features are Coon and Pleasant Grove Creeks and Markham and Auburn Ravines in the southeastern portion of the County and the Snake River on the east side of the Sutter Buttes. A manmade feature is the Sutter Bypass which acts as a flood control overflow for the Sacramento River. The Sutter Bypass collects flood overflow water from the Sacramento River after passing through Butte Slough and the Butte Sink. The Bypass starts north of Pass Road, westerly of the Sutter Buttes and generally goes in a south-southeast direction for about 27 miles until it intercepts the Feather River about three miles downriver from the rural community of Nicolaus.

Existing Resources

Sacramento River. The Sacramento River is the largest river in the County and in the State. It forms a major portion of the western County boundary as it enters the County from Colusa County on the west and generally flows in a south-southeasterly direction until it leaves the County at the Sacramento County boundary. The river supports various recreational activities, agricultural irrigation and diverse wildlife habitats. No communities in Sutter County use the river as a source of domestic or municipal water supply. Historically, the river has been known to meander, and has carved out a wide floodplain outside of its existing banks. In an effort to protect the adjoining lands, a levee system has been developed along both sides of the river.

The State Department of Water Resources, Division of Water Resources, established the Sacramento River Flood Control Project which implements flood protection programs for the river and its tributaries. During the high water period of 1983 and the floods of 1986, the river threatened Sutter County with possible flooding due to levee failure. After the 1986 floods, the levee system was re-evaluated and improvements begun. The upper portion of the river is controlled by Shasta Dam, Whiskeytown Dam and Keswick Dam.

Feather River. The Feather River forms a major portion of the County's eastern boundary. Like the Sacramento River, the Feather River provides for recreation activities, agricultural irrigation and a diverse wildlife habitat. The City of Yuba City obtains a large part of its annual water supply for municipal and domestic use from the River.

Sutter County is protected from flooding from the Feather River by a levee system that has known historical flooding, the most recent event being the 1955 Yuba City Flood when 39 people died and thousands of homes and other buildings were damaged or destroyed. The river is part of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project managed by the State Department of Water Resources.

The river is listed as navigable below the City of Yuba City, however, due to siltation caused by past mining practices in the Sierra foothills and to lack of maintenance, only small boats can pass. Sand deposits within the river have some potential for mining, however, due to environmental concerns are probably impractical until the value of sand reaches a much higher level. Upstream, the river is controlled by the Oroville Dam in Butte County.

Bear River. The Bear River enters Sutter County from Placer County near the City of Wheatland in Yuba County. It generally flows in a south-southwest direction until it meets the Feather River about one mile upstream from the rural community of Nicolaus. Although smaller than either the Sacramento or Feather Rivers, the Bear River also provides recreational opportunities, agricultural irrigation water and a diverse wildlife habitat. River flows are controlled by the Camp Far West Reservoir in Yuba County.

GROUNDWATER RESOURCES

Sutter County lies within the Sacramento Valley groundwater basin. Major hydrologic features of the County include the Sacramento River, which forms the western border of the County, the Feather River, which forms a portion of the eastern boundary, and the Bear River, which forms the border in the southeastern part of the County between Yuba County and Sutter County. The Sutter Buttes lie between the Sacramento River and Feather River in the northern part of the County and represents a barrier to groundwater flow. The rivers are sources of groundwater recharge. Other sources include deep percolation of precipitation and water applied for agriculture, and subsurface inflow from adjacent areas of the Sacramento Valley. Groundwater discharge from Sutter County results from pumping and subsurface outflow to rivers and adjoining areas of the Sacramento Valley.

Two main groundwater flow patterns exist in Sutter County. West of the Feather River, groundwater flows from north to south at a relatively flat gradient. The general direction of groundwater flow and the depth to groundwater have remained somewhat stable since the mid-1940s. Spring groundwater levels range from about 60 to 70 feet above mean sea level near the northern border of the County and from 10 to 20 feet above mean sea level near the southern border. During wet years, groundwater will be near the ground surface in most of the flatter areas of the County.

The other main groundwater flow pattern is in the southeastern portion of the County, east of the Feather River. Groundwater in this portion of the County flows primarily from east to west, towards the Feather River. The gradient and direction of groundwater flow have changed over time in response to regional pumping depressions in adjacent counties. The highest historical groundwater elevations have ranged from 60 feet above mean sea level in the eastern portion of the County, adjacent to Placer County, to 30 feet below mean sea level in the southeastern portion of the County, adjacent to Sacramento County.

Agricultural demands on groundwater caused declining groundwater levels in the southeastern portion of Sutter County from the mid-1940s to about the mid-1960s. After surface water supplies from Camp Far West were substituted for groundwater in 1964, groundwater levels began to recover and reach near historical high levels by the late-1960s. Groundwater levels remained at about this level until 1977, when surface supplies were interrupted by the drought and agriculture again relied on groundwater to meet irrigation demands. Following that drought, groundwater levels again recovered to near their high. In response to the drought that began in the late 1980s, groundwater levels have again declined, but not as low as during the mid-1970s drought.

Groundwater levels and flow patterns in Sutter County are also influenced by pumping in adjacent counties. A pumping depression in Yuba County affects groundwater levels along the eastern border of Sutter County. Pumping depressions in Placer and Sacramento Counties that have developed in the 1950s have continued to widen and deepen. These pumping depressions have lowered groundwater levels in the southeastern corner of Sutter County, steepening the gradient and diverting the direction of groundwater flow to the southeast. Similar effects have been observed in the southwestern portion of Sutter County due to pumping in Yolo County, but this depression and its effects are not as deep or as persistent as those in Sacramento and Placer Counties.

Only one persistent pumping depression has existed since the county-wide groundwater monitoring program was started during the mid-1940s. This deep depression is centered south of Yuba City and was deepest and widest during the drought of the mid-1970s, when it was partially connected to the deep pumping depression to the east, in Yuba County. Groundwater levels recovered during the wetter years of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but have declined once again by 5 to 10 feet as a result of the drought that began in the late 1980s. Department of Water Resources maps of irrigated crop lands from 1970 correspond to this depression south of Yuba City and the generalized area of orchard crops.

In 1961, reports prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the California Department of Water Resources analyzed major agricultural irrigation wells in the Sacramento Valley. With the exception of the Sutter Buttes Area, which was not tested, and that area along the Sacramento River north of Fasig Road, major agricultural wells in Sutter County were generally able to produce an average of from 730 to 960 gpm (gallons per minute) with average depths from 252 to 303 feet. Wells tested in the area along the Sacramento River, north of Fasig Road, produced an average of 1,690 gpm at an average depth of 315 feet.

The 1961 analysis of groundwater found only two substantial changes in groundwater depth from a 1912 survey which was considered to be natural conditions. The first change was the area south of Yuba City which had a depression of up to twenty feet. The second area was the area of southeast Sutter County which had a depression of up to thirty feet.

Information pertaining to the quality of groundwater and existing areas of groundwater contamination are discussed within Section 5.3 of this report.

Groundwater Recharge

During the period of 1961 to 1970, it is estimated that approximately 193,000 acre feet of groundwater was pumped annually in Sutter County. During this same period, with area rainfall slightly less than normal throughout the Sacramento Valley, groundwater basin supplies underlying the County increased by approximately 10,500 acre-feet. This increase was as a result of recharge of the groundwater basin.

The major sources of groundwater recharge in Sutter County are rainfall, infiltration from streams, subsurface inflow, and deep percolation of applied irrigation water in agricultural areas. The 1961 to 1970 study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Water Resources was not able to separate what portion of groundwater recharge was individually provided by rainfall and inflow. However the study did estimate applied water percolation reaching the groundwater and found it to be almost 79,000 acre-feet annually. (Applied water is agricultural irrigation water that reaches the groundwater.)

Depending upon various area locations, Sutter County averages from 17 to 21 inches of rainfall per year. On an average, that means that slightly more than one-half million acre-feet of rainfall occurs in Sutter County. No estimate of what percentage of this reaches the groundwater exists; however, based upon the "balancing the equation" method used in the 1961 to 1970 study, the combined amount of rainfall and inflow from surrounding streams reaching groundwater in Sutter County is estimated to be 124,500 acre-feet of water.
Regulatory Setting

Criteria for dischargeable allowances into groundwater in Sutter County have been developed by the State Water Quality Control Board, Division of Water Quality. These requirements are used as criteria in granting National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Any facility or activity that will discharge waste that may affect groundwater quality must obtain waste requirements which serve as a federal NPDES permit. The Regional Water Quality Control Board evaluates an NPDES permit application to determine whether the proposed discharge is consistent with the adopted water quality objectives, the Areawide Waste Treatment Management ("208") Plan and the federal effluent limitations.

With the droughts that have occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, local groundwater resources are being examined more closely. Some concern has been expressed in the northern California, water-rich counties that southern California interests may attempt to force the replacement of riparian water rights with the use of groundwater.

With the exception of a few groundwater management districts and a few "adjudicated" groundwater basins, there is little control over the use and/or potential sale of local groundwater. Many California landowners, public or private, can extract as much groundwater as they choose - as long as the water is put to a "beneficial use" and regardless of the impact such extraction has on neighboring groundwater extractors. The State of California is not authorized by the State Water Code to manage groundwater. However, in basins or sub-basins where groundwater extraction, recharge, or quality are being managed, such programs have developed solely on an "ad hoc" basis at the local level in response to local initiative. Management of groundwater at the local level is accomplished by two approaches: 1) adjudicated basins and 2) water districts or agencies.

Adjudicated groundwater basins are areas where the residents have approached the courts and had the courts limit all parties within the basin subject to the court's judgment. Adjudicated groundwater basins are used where a groundwater basin is narrowly restricted with limited available water supplies and has numerous demands upon that water.

In the eight groundwater management districts or agencies that exist, local parties have lobbied their State legislators to create special legislation to control the use of the groundwater in their area. Some districts of agencies which import water for recharge have only been given the authority to charge for groundwater extraction. Legislation that formed most of the eight districts or agencies that exist was successful only after several years. Adoption of a generic groundwater management district in the State Water Code may make the process simpler.